Yodel is facing significant challenges managing delivery capacities during the busy Christmas period.
- The courier company experiences delays affecting trailer availability and driver schedules.
- Yodel advises clients like Gousto and eBay to seek alternative delivery options.
- Despite efforts, Yodel cannot guarantee its usual 24-hour service due to operational issues.
- Financial incentives elsewhere have impacted Yodel’s ability to retain peak period drivers.
Yodel, a well-known delivery service provider, is grappling with substantial capacity issues as the Christmas season approaches. This disruption stems from delays in processing parcels, significantly impacting trailer availability and disrupting planned driver schedules. The company, in anticipation of the holiday rush, had planned to hire thousands of seasonal workers to manage deliveries from Black Friday through Christmas.
In a memo addressed to its clients, Yodel has candidly acknowledged these operational challenges. The courier has advised its clients, which include notable names such as Gousto, eBay, and New Look, to consider diverting their deliveries to alternative couriers, given the current difficulties in ensuring timely service.
The complications Yodel faces are compounded by a reduction in network productivity. This is largely due to the influx of large, manually sorted parcels into its system, which has overwhelmed its capacity. The provider has openly stated its inability to maintain the standard 24-hour delivery service that clients have come to expect.
One of the primary hurdles has been the unexpected absenteeism of many of Yodel’s peak period HGV drivers. This issue was uncovered during an internal investigation, which revealed that drivers were attracted to other opportunities offering more lucrative financial incentives. Yodel has expressed a commitment to resolving these challenges and is actively engaging with its drivers to honour their commitments for this peak period.
Despite these setbacks, Yodel has expressed gratitude towards those clients who have shown understanding and cooperation during this demanding time. The company has reassured its customer base that their teams are working tirelessly to address a small backlog and hopes to resolve this by the weekend.
Yodel remains focused on mitigating its current challenges to restore its delivery services.
